


All Roads Lead Somewhere

by I_Got_Lost



Category: Murdoch Mysteries
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Multi, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:40:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28691100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Got_Lost/pseuds/I_Got_Lost
Summary: William Murdoch enjoys puzzles, it is why he became a detective after all, but this one is a bit stranger then most. Live bodies in the morgue, disappearing artifacts from the museum, and a break in at the library of all places, all add up to a rather strange picture. Add in the fact that the girl on the table claims to be his granddaughter, never mind the fact he doesnt have children, and you get an interesting puzzle of the oddball kind.
Relationships: William Murdoch/Julia Ogden
Kudos: 4





	All Roads Lead Somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know, 'not another fic' you all scream at me in despair. But this one is for Hazzardofacat, who probably deserves their own file on my computer at this point. I dont know how often this one will be updated and Once Upon a Contract is about halfway through being typed so I promise there will be an update for that before the end of the month.  
> Anyways, as always, have fun, enjoy, and dont shoot me.  
> -Lost
> 
> Edit: The formatting was bugging me, so I got that straightened out. Nothing in the story was changed.

There were some days where it took a lot more then a smile from Dr. Ogden (his wife! His beautiful, wonderful, smart, and perfect wife!) and a good case to keep things running smoothly. Those were the days where George could find nothing in the archives or had no leads to report. Those were the days where his tea always seemed cold, his food lackluster, and it seemed hard to look past the terrible things people did almost daily.Those were the days where the photographs burrow into his soul and drag claws against his bones. Those were the days where his brain didn’t move fast enough, the connections refused to snap together, and the pressure of his superiors weighed like a chain about his neck.

He doesn’t miss Nova Scotia, not really. But he misses the wind and the sea. The lake helps, but the winds are not the same. The winters are different, the sun beams down oddly, and on those days, he felt a bit like he was standing in front of a Circus mirror.

On those days, Julia tries. She threads her fingers through his and lays a hand on his cheek. She reads reports aloud and untangles medical jargon neatly above his head. Julia tries to give him a world of peace but some days the world is just too much.

William Murdock became a detective for the puzzles, not for the crime.

And today, it seemed, was out to get him.

He had come into the station at eight as per usual after walking Julia to the door of her office and greeting her coworkers with a smile. He had then gone into station house number 4, given George a quick hello, poked his head in to see Inspector Brakenreid, and then wandered to his office. Everything was perfectly routine.

The day before, he had wrapped up a case and all he had to do in the morning was simply go over another few pages of notes and sign some papers. (The case had been about some missing crates at the docks and a body in the lake. Rather mundane compared to their more outlandish cases, but the scenario had still been horrible all the same.)

He should have had the day to spend going over files and getting caught up on some paper work that had fallen to the wayside. Even with pressing cases and whatnot, paperwork was still a task that needed to be completed and he had put this particular file off long enough. Inspector Brackreid had already spoken to him once about completing the series of paperwork and he truly didn’t need another ‘subtle' reminder, thank you very much.

In all, the day appeared deceptively easy. He had plans to take lovely Julia out for lunch, if she was agreeable of course. And wouldn’t Julia get a kick out of that? Having a break and simply going out because they could? No cases, no studies, no pressing matters at hand. A lunch date, just for no other reason then he wanted a good old fashion meal with his wife.

No matter how long it had been, he still got flutters in his stomach and a grin on his lips over that word. Julia had said yes. She had said yes. (William didn’t wish for much. Didn’t think wishing to be practical. But Dr. Julia Ogden had given her hand and most of his dreams had come true when she had given him the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen.)

Still, back to the matter at hand. George had been quiet adamant that there had been no cases that were pressing. Only…

Some days William needed to move. Needed to think. Those days didn’t happen often and usually they occurred when the puzzles were clawing up to his throat and hissing in his ears. Nothing but the sharp fresh air and open sky could make him breathe easily again. Typically, this meant William would find himself outside, his hat firmly on his head and his jacket wrapped around him as he paced the block, deep in thought. These jaunts outside also tended to give way to a moment of clarity and William would rush back to the station to slam a piece of chalk against the board. In mintues, he would have a scrawled explanation and a case nearly shut as all his ducks lines up in a row and his puzzle pieces snapped into place.

William never really fought against the need to move, he just could not see the reason to move right now. He had a pile of paperwork that really did need to be filed and that lunch with Julia could probably be put off, but if another case popped up…

But his fingers were twitching and his leg was bouncing. He had nearly knocked over his inkwell three times in as many minutes and there were only so many times he could shift in place before he realized it was neither his posture or position that was causing the near feral ache in his bones.

Setting his pen aside, William closed his eyes for a short moment and heaved out a whooshing sigh. He was never going to be able to stay at his desk like this, was he? 

By the time ten rolled around, William had quietly made the decision that if he couldn’t do his work, he might as well take an early lunch and invite the good doctor to join him. Mind made up, William closed the file with a snap, all but threw the pen onto the desk and got ready to go collect his wife.

He got as far as closing his office door.

He had a hat in hand, his jacket over his arm, and a shaky idea as to where Julia might be. He had been listening when they had spoken of schedules and plans that morning, but to be honest, he had been paying more attention to where she was going to be at a regular lunch hour, rather then an acceptable tea time. He had been listening, but he needed to move.

“William!”

William nearly jumped straight out of his skin when Julia slipped up beside him, her arm threading delicately through his own.

“How do you feel about an early lunch?” She asked, somehow appearing frazzled but immaculate all the same.

Placing his hat on his head and detangling from his wife enough to shrug his jacket on, William gave his wife a small smile and gestured towards the door. “After you, my dear.”

Julia gave him a rather tight smile and began to lead him towards the enterance of the station. Aside from ensuring he gave a quick wave to the Inspector and a nod towards Julia to ensure the man knew where he had gone, William all but hurried his wife out of the building. For all that Julia was leading him, William knew he was pushing her to hurry just by his own long strides and any other day he would have felt awful.

But he needed to move.

He needed to move now.

For a man who rather enjoyed his puzzles, William had no mood for them today. Julia was rather quiet on his arm, the sky was overcast, and the streets were loud and bustling. Being outside was not curing the frantic energy in his blood, in some ways, it was making it worse.

“…just give it to him, I say…”

“Oh darling, I couldn’t possibly…”

“I swear, the man has….”

“A dollar for a…”

“Body in the Lake Identified!”

“You are joking! There is no possible way that…”

“You will go to your lessons and that is…”

“But mum! I don’t wanna…!”

Julia pulled him into a side alley with a jolt. The movement was graceful, as it seemed everything she did had a token of grace behind it, but sudden too. William nearly tripped over his feet when she yanked him off the sidewalk.

“Too loud?” Julia asked softly, her fingers threading through his.

William hadnt even realized he had closed his eyes until he felt her gloves tickle a light pattern onto the top of his cheek. The alley wasn’t quiet, no where in Toronto could truly be quiet, but it was still better then the shouts and snippets of conversations he was catching from the street.

“No.” William managed to choke out after a moment. “No, it is alright. Where did you want to go for…”

“Dr. Ogden! Dr. Ogden!”

William's eyes shot open. “Is that George?”

Julia gave him a despairing look before she rolled her eyes up to the sky with a shake of her head. “So much for lunch.” She sighed as she bustled to the mouth of the alley. “Although it is odd that George is calling for me.”

William couldn’t help but agree. Of course, Julia was capable in her own right but it was far more likely for George to be calling for him, than for her. Straightening his jacket, William strolled to the street and waved a hand in the air after George's back disappearing into the ground. “George. George! Over here!”

George near skidded to a stop, his wide eyes visible even over the distance between them. “Sir!” he shouted as he jogged back. “Sir. Doctor! You have to come quick.”

He didn’t give them time to question him as he bolted back to the station and William hardly had time to share a concerned look with Julia before they were rushing off after him. The whole day had been odd. The rush in his blood was dragging claws down his spine and William had to count the steps it took to chase after George and Julia unless he slipped away to poke and pick at another puzzle on the street.

Five. Six.

“George! What is going on?” Julia shouted, abandoning propriety as she hitched up her skirts and dashed after the constable.

Seven. Eight. Nine.

George blew right past the station with no signs of stopping. Odd. Maybe they were going to a crime scene? (Lord, don’t let it be someone they knew. Please Lord, don’t let it be anyone they knew.) William stumbled a bit as he saw Inspector Brackenreid rush out of the door, no hat or coat in sight. It had to have been worse then he thought.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

George practically threw himself through the doors leading to the morgue.

Thirteen.

For a moment, William couldn’t help but grow still. Roots plunging down from his feet and snarling into the earth until nothing could move him. Every time he went out on a case, every time George called for him, his heart stopped for a split second. People always said the world was a big place and one could easily become lost. He had seen that enough in his life of work. But he had also learned that the world was so painfully small, and sometimes, the dice would roll that he knew the body in the morgue.

On worse days, the dice would roll, and Julia knew the body in the morgue.

(Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.)

(Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,et dimitte nobis debita nostra,sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,sed libera nos a malo.Amen.)

Some days it seemed like they never left the job.

William followed two steps after Julia. Beside the door, a few of Julia's coworkers huddled, their eyes wide and their gazes curious. William didn’t have the time to stop and figure out why.

The lights flickered. There was a low hum in the air. The closer they got to the morgue, the cooler it seemed. (He had never thought the walk to Julia's station too long before now…) He caught up to George and Julia outside of the examination room.

“Dr. Ogden. We don’t know how she got in there.” George said, his eyes still wild as he glanced at the door. “I had popped over for a file and one of the assistants volunteered to grab it for me. Next thing I knew, there was a scream.”

“How does one sneak in a dead body?” Julia asked, her brow furrowing as she gave George a short look before turning towards William. “Into the morgue beside the police station, I might add?”

“That's the thing.” George cut in, leaving William to flounder a bit, still not having caught up with the conversation quiet yet. “She's not dead.”

William’s train of thought stalled at that revelation. It was one thing for a dead body to appear in the morgue, it was quiet another for a living one to arrive instead.

“You mean to tell me.” He bit out, his mind already whirling with the possibilities, “ that someone broke into the morgue and you just left her there?”

George gave him a sheepish look, wilting a bit under both his and Julia's combined glares. “Well, she is asleep.”

“Excuse me?” Julia broke in, one eyebrow raised as she punched the bridge of her nose. “There is a woman asleep in my morgue?”

“On the table, yes.” George confirmed, his head bobbing up and down as he tried not to wilt under the good doctor's stare.

“Well,” Julia eventually seemed to manage in a huff, “the girl must have an extraordinarily strong constitution. I havent seen someone do that since my school days.” Then she proceeded to step into the morgue.

William was still stuck on the girl being asleep on a table. “Wait, Julia! No! Dr. Ogden!” he shouted, half stumbling after his wife, mind flashing to criminals with knives and sickly grins.

(Lord, never let it be Julia on that table.)

He bumped into Julia's back, his hand wrapping around her waist as they both scrambled to find their footing. “Julia, what in heavens name processed you to…” William trailed off, his gaze caught on the girl asleep on the table.

He saw the boots first. (Later he would wonder why it was her boots that made him stop, rather then the rest of her clothing.) William had seen plenty of odd fashions before, what with the hustle and bustle of the city, but this had to take the trophy for oddest of them all. But still, big black boots, clunky and heavy, laced tight until it seemed the bindings might burst. Tucked into them were the most form fitting set of black trousers William had ever seen, although the general state of disrepair nodded to fincial struggles. A curious purple belt wrapped around her hips and he just about turned right around when he realized the girl had a loose fitting blouse riding up her stomach under her open black jacket.

And that wasn’t to mention her hair.

Purple.

Brilliantly purple.

William must have made a strangled sound because Julia grabbed at his hand and squeezed tightly. A wig. The girl had to be wearing a wig. Although why anyone would dye a wig purple was anyone’s guess. And lord and saints preserve him, she was in trousers with her stomach on full display! Not a corset or under thing any wear in sight. She wore no skirts, no petticoats, not even a hat!

Julia took a step forward as she let go of his hand, her head cocked to the side in what William knew to be her thinking pose. Her arms crossed over her chest and any other day, William would be content to watch his lovely wife deduce the situation with clinical professionalism. But there was a twist of fear in his blood and disbelief tapping on his bones. He wanted Julia no where near the strange girl.

“Julia,” William began, stuck between edging towards his wife and backing out the door.

“Oh really, William. I doubt she will be any problem at all.” Julia cut across as she suddenly leaned over the girl.

William's heart jumped into his throat.

Julia dismissed him with a stern look, her lips pinched together in a bloodless frown. “I doubt the station quartet singing in the hall would be enough to wake her, if the bags under her eyes are any indication.”

It was as if the universe had heard Julia and thought it amusing to toy with William's already racing heart.

The girl sat up with a scream.

“I forgot to hit enter!”


End file.
